Wireless communication has advanced significantly over the past few decades. Today, mobile terminals (such as mobile phones, pagers, personal digital assistants, and similar devices) play an important role in society. An increasingly large percentage of the population carries some sort of mobile terminal. People of all ages and walks of life use these mobile terminals to communicate, access the internet, play games, store information, and organize their calendars. People often rely on having easy access to their mobile terminals at all times.
One of the most important characteristics of a mobile terminal is its portability. Consumers constantly demand smaller and lighter mobile terminals that are easier to carry around on a day-to-day basis. In response to consumer demand, today's mobile terminals are often designed to be easily carried in a pocket or handbag or attached to a belt. To achieve smaller sizes and weights, today's mobile devices often lack any kind of significant protection from the elements. Most of the mobile terminals today are highly susceptible to water, dust, and dirt, and few have any significant shock protection.
As consumers increasingly rely on their mobile terminals, they desire to take their mobile terminals everywhere they go and have access to them at any time of day. As a result, today's mobile devices are frequently used in environments hostile to the mobile terminal's electronics. For example, a person who takes a cell phone, PDA, or similar device, to the beach risks harming the device by getting the device sandy or wet. Likewise, someone who works outdoors and is exposed to the elements may desire to have a mobile terminal that is water, dirt, and shock resistant. Even, sitting by the pool or on a boat talking on a mobile phone could be disastrous if the phone is splashed or accidentally dropped in the water. Countless other situations exist, like jogging, hiking, camping, or attending sporting events, where a person may desire to have their mobile device handy but at the same time may not wish to risk exposing the device to potentially harmful environments.
Since a mobile terminal is often a significant investment for the user and would, at the least, be inconvenient to replace, a means of adequately protecting the terminal is needed. Typical protective cases that are currently available consist of flexible leather or plastic jackets that fit snuggly over the terminal. In order for the mobile terminal to be useable with these protective covers in place, these covers generally have cutouts that expose the input and output components of the terminal, such as the keypads, speakers, and microphones. As a result, such covers provide little protection from water, sand, and dirt, and provide almost no added shock protection if the terminal is dropped.
Hard plastic cases that exist in the art, such as that described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,487, are generally not waterproof and may require covers to be sealed against the elements. Also, some cases require that the terminal be removed from the case prior to use. Similarly, a person could wrap their terminal in a waterproof plastic bag, but again this would require removal of the terminal prior to use. As a result, cases that require the terminal to be removed for use provide no protection to the terminal during use, when the terminal is often most vulnerable.
Wireless headsets can be used to access a mobile phone while the phone is stored in a secure location. These headsets generally communicate with the mobile terminal using BLUETOOTH wireless technology. BLUETOOTH wireless technology enables cable-free connections by using radio frequency signals to communicate with the mobile terminal. For the headsets to work, the mobile terminal must be in close proximity to the headset. As a result, the mobile terminal must typically be with the user anyway and, therefore, will still need some means of protection. The small size of the headset limits the input, output, and power components that can be placed on the headset. Furthermore, a person using a headset with a mobile phone while the phone is protected in a handbag or backpack cannot see the display on the phone. To see the phone, the person would have to take it out of the bag, thus exposing it to the harsh environment from which the person was protecting it. Finally, these headsets are not waterproof themselves.
Accordingly, a device is needed that allows consumers the ability to use their small, lightweight, mobile terminals in all kinds of environments without worrying about harming or destroying the terminal. Ideally, the protective device should be waterproof, buoyant, and able to absorb the shock associated with dropping the mobile terminal. At the same time, it would be beneficial to be able to easily use a mobile device and enjoy much of its rich functionality while it is protected.
The mobile telephone is the most commonly used mobile terminal. Mobile telephones are in every day use in many different settings including home, automobiles, bicycles, carried on the person in pocket, and in various recreational activities, many of which are outdoors. Some of these outdoor activities can involve proximity to the beach and other water-related activities such as boating, water skiing, etc. Other outdoor activities may involve proximity to dirt and dust and from which it may be desirable to protect one's mobile phone. It is also desirable in some outdoor activities to be able to carry the mobile phone on the person without having to use one's hands so that operation may be conducted in a “hands-free” manner. Mobile phones are now equipped with many different functionalities and may include functions beyond simple voice telephony. Such may include music downloads, radio, multimedia messaging, etc. It would be desirable to have a means for protecting a mobile phone in harsh outdoor environments while still being able to use the phone in a hand-free manner and utilize many of the new functionalities besides voice telephony.